The present invention relates to basketball retrieval apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a basketball retrieval and return apparatus that is easily and quickly mounted or dismounted to both the basketball backboard and the upright pole supporting the backboard for improving basketball shooting.
As in all sports, the more one practices, the more one's game is improved. The sport of basketball is no exception, and the more practice shooting a player engages in the better his or her shooting will be in game situations. One problem encountered by anyone who has practiced basketball shooting in a playground or gymnasium setting, while shooting basketballs at a basketball rim and backboard mounted above the garage door or at a pole-supported backboard and rim alongside the driveway, is that more time is spent chasing and retrieving the shot basketball than actually shooting the basketball at the rim. Because the practicing player or players will shoot the basketball from various positions about the backboard with varying degrees of force and accuracy, the basketball will ricochet off the backboard at various angles and bounce and roll on the pavement, gym floor or basketball court until physically retrieved by the player or players. This problem is not alleviated by having several players shoot just one basketball because the basketball will ricochet in any direction, and the players simply can't cover the entire area surrounding the backboard.
Therefore, a wide variety of basketball retrieval devices have been conceived to reduce the time spent chasing down shot basketballs. The basketball retrieval devices generally comprise a netting which surrounds the rim and net, and which is mounted to the backboard, or structure supporting the backboard, and some kind of structure disposed beneath the net for collecting the shot basketball and directing it to a collection point or to the practicing player. Two representative basketball retrieval devices in the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,786,371 and 4,936,577.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,371 includes a pivot structure secured to the rear of the backboard to which is pivotally mounted a frame cross bar. The cross bar includes a pair of spaced-apart, downwardly- and forwardly-extending, elongated support bars between which netting material is attached. A pair of support legs are used to support the netting and the support bars in spaced relationship from the ground or floor surface. Depending on how the shot basketball ricochets off the backboard, it may fall upon and roll down the net toward the practicing player.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,577 discloses a framework mounted directly on the front of the backboard, an upper ring member disposed above the hoop and supported by braces and struts, a lower ring member disposed beneath the hoop, and a basketball return which communicates with the lower ring member for returning the basketball to the practicing player.
However, there remains the need for a basketball retrieval device which is easy to mount and dismount from both fan-shaped and square-shaped basketball backboards, does not obstruct the ability of the practicing player or players to move about the backboard and shoot from a variety of positions, and has the capability to return to the player or players a majority of the basketballs that ricochet off the backboard before they strike the ground or floor surface.